I listened to several hours of LBJ's phone conversations courtesy of C-Span and the LBJ archives that recently opened up to the public.If you think it was easy then to implement medicare your quite mistaken.The fierce wrangling between LBJ and the elected officials were stunning.The same words spoken and some of the same fears expressed but without the benefit of a public that was aware and active largely due to the internet.Astonishing conversations between LBJ with Dr Spock who was one of the premier public advocates for Medicare are available.The tapes are a treasure trove of information during one of the most transforamational times in our nation.
It clearly shows the same people that were wrong then are wrong now.I never grasped this as firmly before I listened to the Medicare Debate.
The healthcare reform debate we see now was never played out in the public arena for Medicare yet the inside wranglings were filled with many of the same fears .concerns and ideals we see today.I remember "old folks homes" where America stashed it's elederly who did not have the means to afford old age.My sorority did 3 chairty events a year for them and sang Christmas Carols .They were small packets we made up with a pretty pink or blue comb and a nice hanky with some hard candies and a few handmade trinkets.I remember the tears rolling down wrinkled faces while shaky hands accepted these little gift bags.For most it was the only gift they would receive.The homes were stinky and most times dark shabby places.Not much better than the places we hid our memtally disabled citizens at the time.
I will admit I was afraid as a youth to go the the "nut houses" to sing or pass out gifts.We all were and I regret that now.
The critics at the time although a tad more polite were using the same arguments we hear today.
Socialism
At the time it was enacted, conservatives strongly opposed Medicare, warning that a government-run program would lead to socialism in America:
Ronald Reagan: "if you don’t stop Medicare and I don’t do it, one of these days you and I are going to spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free."
George H.W. Bush: Described Medicare in 1964 as "socialized medicine."
Barry Goldwater: "Having given our pensioners their medical care in kind, why not food baskets, why not public housing accommodations, why not vacation resorts, why not a ration of cigarettes for those who smoke and of beer for those who drink."
Bob Dole: In 1996, while running for the presidency, Dole stated that he was one of 12 House members who voted against creating Medicare in 1965. "I was there, fighting the fight, voting against Medicare ... because we knew it wouldn’t work in 1965."
Libertarians and the Austrian School of economics suggest that social programs such as Medicare fail to participate in the price mechanism of competition. Bypassing market forces allows for arbitrary pricing and increased utilization of resources by the public.
I guess the seniors now don't agree for the most part with these men because Medicare is now an American way of life.It is ironic some of their own ppolitical heroes of the past would have made sure they were delegated to those same "old folks homes" I used to visit.
LBJ went to Harry Truman's Library to sign him up as the first recipient of Medicare.It is well known Truman was the pioneer of health care for all Americans s it was a fitting tribute.
I get weary and tired of trying as the song says but listening to those LBJ tapes gave me new energy to fight old class barriers put up in the cobblestones of colonial roads.Embedded in our history is a glorious ooportunity for liberty.The holes and bumps in that history are slavery .women's sufferage,and ignorance that allowed "nut houses" and "old folks homes" that his our imperfections until people fought to force the right laws were passed to make us a more perfect union.
I was too young to understand what happened on July 30th 1965 but I am glad it did happen.LBJ was a flawed president but some of our greatest programs were envisioned by others but enacted by him.Yes he did fight for Medicare and he fought the same fight we are now.His tapes show this.I thank him now for that.
Here is a link for his phone conversations.C-Span is airing some of the with brilliant historians explaining some of the agendas behind the conversations.C-Span.Org will give you a link to the former airings for livestrean at your convenience.
They were right then and we must fight now because we are right.There is no greater purpose for our nation than to continue to strive for that pursuit of happiness for all.These tapes are simply a reminder of that fact.
http://www.c-span.org/...
This is the program I referenced
Special LBJ Tapes the 1965 Medicare Bill
As Congress continues work on health care legislation, hear comparisons to the 1965 Medicare bill from President Johnson's 1964 and 1965 calls. Listen to LBJ plan to win approval for the measure in conversations with his chief Congressional aide Larry O'Brien, Sen. Albert Gore Sr., father of the future Vice President, and House Ways and Means Cmte. Chairman Wilbur Mills. Historian David Shreve provides context and background for these conversations.